A 32-year-old Cumbrian man has embarked on the challenge of scaling every mountain in England non-stop.
Laurie Crayston, of Frizington, set off on his biggest challenge yet earlier this month aiming to climb every mountain in the country, in a true test of his endurance.
In total, Laurie will hike almost 530 miles and climb over 164,000ft.
He started by climbing the three mountains in Dartmoor before driving up to the Peak District, and now further up to Yorkshire, the Pennines, and then Northumbria before finishing up in the Lake District towards the end of April.
He said: “After climbing all of England’s mountains in winter I felt like there was room to improve on my time and I wanted to see what it would be like to climb them all in the warmer months, with (in theory) slightly better weather.
“I was also working full-time when I last attempted this challenge and was unable to climb ‘non-stop’. I want to see how quickly I can climb them all whilst hopefully inspiring others to chase their dreams and push their limits in the process. To put this challenge into perspective I’ll be aiming to complete a mountain marathon each day on average and climb over five times the height of Everest, all in under four weeks!
“There are a total of 192 English mountains – these are peaks that meet the consensus height threshold for a mountain, namely 1,969ft height and relative prominence of at least 98ft. They are commonly known as the Simms. The current record for climbing these is my own – 77 days and three hours, but this was set in winter, and it wasn’t non-stop so there’s plenty of scope to go much, much faster this time!”
Laurie is an advocate for the great outdoors, he said: “Freedom, adventure, exploration, and discovery is why I’m such a huge fan of the outdoors. Growing up in West Cumbria on the edge of the Lake District I was always curious to know what was ‘over there’. The older I got the further I’d stray, exploring rivers, woodland, mountains and so on.
“I’ve also grown a fondness for endurance challenges in the wild too. Moving from A to B or climbing groups of mountains as quickly as possible. The feelings of adventure I get from this are completely different to the discovery side of things. The discovery with this is more internal; how far can I push myself? What am I truly capable of?”
“The wild can be a barbaric place at times and there is no greater opponent to test yourself against than nature. I’ve found out so much about myself and my abilities through these challenges and gained a wealth of self-confidence in the process.
Laurie will be mostly solo and unsupported on the mountains, but it will be classed as a supported hike and drive. Laurie will be able to resupply as and when he wishes, spending most nights in the boot of his car with plans for the odd night camping.
He is raising money for the Samaritans and Cumbria Community Foundation.
He said: “I used Samaritans a couple of years ago and will forever owe them a debt of gratitude, and the foundation does a variety of incredible work across Cumbria.
